Parent Publication [book]: Carlow: history & society. Interdisciplinary essays on the history of an Irish county / edited by Thomas McGrath / 1070pp

About: A history of Tullow in County Carlow from around the fifth century to beginning of the nineteenth century. In particular the article describes how Tullow survived the transition from a medieval manor to a thriving market town. The author cites the resilience of its people (both native and settler) as the defining characteristic of this period of its history.

ID number(s): 9780906602386

Contents Introduction – Before the Anglo-Normans – After the conquest – The castle and town – Parish church and friary – Mills and weirs – Demesne lands – Tenants — The fourteenth to sixteenth centuries – The post-medieval period — Conclusions – Acknowledgements – Appendix 1: Account of Walter Miller of the ward of Tullow from Tuesday after Michaelmas in the 13th year of King Edward to Michaelmas in the 14th year of King Edward that is for three terms [1265-6] — References.

WW Connection #1: The Manor of Tullow would have extended into parts of West Wicklow such as the areas around Rathgall and Aghowle.

Publisher / Place of Publication: Archaeology Ireland / Media House, South County Business Park, Dublin 18.

About: This is a glossy A4 brochure which folds out to the equivalent of six A4-size pages. It is Number 51 in the Archaeology Ireland Heritage Guide Series. It is a beautifully presented summation of what is known about the hillfort of Rathgall in South West Wicklow.

ID number(s): None. The ID number 0790-892X printed on the brochure relates to the journal ‘Archaeology Ireland’.

Contents: Introduction – Visible features – The excavation – Rathgall through time – The hillfort ramparts – The area within rampart 1 – The eastern area of industrial activity – The eastern Bronze Age burial complex – Iron Age, medieval and post-medieval activity – Further reading.

About: An article that tries to place Rathgall Hillfort in the context of Irish prehistory as described in various ancient tracts. It also attempts to match the site to that identified as Dunum by Ptolemy the Greek in the second century A.D.

About: The major history of the County of Wicklow, this is the seventh volume in the Irish County History Series which eventually aims to cover all 32 counties. It brings together 25 essays written by experts in their field and covers aspects of Wicklow history and society from prehistorical to modern times.

ID number(s): 0906602300 / 9780906602300

Contents: Wicklow’s prehistoric landscape / Geraldine Stout — Kings, saints and sagas / Alfred P. Smyth — Evidence of Scandinavian settlement in Wicklow / Colmán Etchingham — The unity of Cóemgen and Ciarán: a covenant between Glendalough and Clonmacnois in the tenth to eleventh centuries / A. S. MacShamhráin — Medieval Wicklow -‘A land of war’ / J. F. Lydon — Anglo-Norman settlement in Uí Briúin Chualann, 1169-1350 / Linzi Simpson — Three settlements of Gaelic Wicklow: Rathgall, Ballinacor and Glendalough / Harry Long — Settlers’ utilisation of the natural resources / Rolf Loeber — The Byrnes of Ballymanus / Conor O’Brien — The rebellion of 1798 in County Wicklow / Ruan O’Donnell — Masters of the mountains: the insurgent careers of Joeseph Holt and Michael Dwyer, County Wicklow, 1798-1803 / Thomas Bartlett — Politics and rebellion: Wicklow in the 1790s / L. M. Cullen — The Poor Law in County Wicklow / Eva O’ Cathaoir — Vernacular rural dwellings of the Wicklow Mountains / F. H. A. Aalen — The holy wells of County Wicklow: traditions and legends / Geraldine Lynch — Land and landscape in County Wicklow / William Nolan — Synge and Wicklow / Nicholas Grene — A survey: some Wicklow maps 1500-1888 / Patrick Power — The mining community at Avoca 1780-1880 / Des Cowman — Wicklow before and after the famine / Ken Hannigan — The evolution of forestry in County Wicklow from prehistory to the present / Mary Kelly Quinn — From Grand Jury to County Council: an overview of local administration in Wicklow, 1605-1898 / Brian Donnelly — Parnell and his neighbours / R. F. Foster — A rightful place in the sun: the struggle of the farm and rural labourers in County Wicklow / Ross M. Connolly — ‘The water was the sheriff’: the land beneath the Poulaphuca reservoir / Fiachra Mac Gabhann — A select bibliography of printed books on County Wicklow / Joan Kavanagh.

WW Connection #1: Contains several essays relevant to West Wicklow history and archaeology.

Publisher / Place of Publication: Wicklow County Tourism / County Buildings, Wicklow.

About: Wicklow has a wealth of archaeological sites and ancient monuments. This A4 size publication aims to interest the tourist in this aspect of our heritage. Many West Wicklow sites are included in this excellent and profusely illustrated introduction to the archaeology of Wicklow.